Condoms In Hair Bands From China – Reported to be Truth!

Condoms In Hair Bands From China – Reported to be Truth!

Hair Bands From China Made From Recycled Condoms- Reported to be Truth!

Summary of eRumor:
Used condoms are being recycled into hair bands in southern China threatening to spread sexually-transmitted diseases and bacteria.The Truth:We have chosen to class this alarming story as "Reported to be Truth!" because it seems to have only one source. We have not found any additional substantiation.
The article circulated in the eRumor from AFP attributes the story to China Daily newspaper.
China Daily quotes Guangzhou-based New Express Daily.
So all of the reports are boiling down to the same news source, but we would feel better about the claims if we had other evidence to support it.
The article claims that the used condoms may be spreading the very diseases they were designed to prevent.
The forwarded email is alarming to those who receive it, but the New Express Daily article said that the condom-laced hair bands have been sold only in China in Dongguan and Guangzhou cities in southern Guangdong province.
The article included pictures of some of the hair bands and what appeared to be pieces of condoms inside. Whether the condoms were actually used ones or not has not been confirmed, but the New Express Daily claims that they are.
The article also warns that the condoms could retain traces of sexually transmitted diseases including AIDS, but experts say that is not the way the HIV virus is transmitted, so the threat of AIDS may have been exaggerated.
updated 08/29/08

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A real example of the eRumor as it has appeared on the Internet:

BEIJING (AFP) – Used condoms are being recycled into hair bands in southern China threatening to spread sexually-transmittable diseases they were originally meant to prevent, state media reported Tuesday
In the latest example of potentially harmful Chinese-made products, rubber hair bands have been found in local markets and beauty salons in Dongguan and Guangzhou cities in southern Guangdong province, China Daily newspaper said.
‘These cheap and colorful rubber bands and hair ties sell well ….. threatening the health of local people,’ it said.
Despite being recycled, the hair bands could still contain bacteria and viruses, it said.
‘People could be infected with AIDS, (genital) warts or other diseases if they hold the rubber bands or strings in their mouths while waving their hair into plaits or buns,’ the paper quoted a local dermatologist who gave only his surname, Dong, as saying. A bag of ten of the recycled bands sells for just 25 s en (three cents), much cheaper than others on the market, accounting for their popularity, the paper said.
A government official was quoted as saying recycling condoms was illegal. China ‘s manufacturing industry has been repeatedly tarnished this year by a string of scandals involving shoddy or dangerous goods made for both domestic and foreign markets.
In response, it launched a public relations blitz this summer aimed at playing up efforts to strengthen monitoring systems.
Check your kids hair bands and make sure they do not put them in their mouth while trying to plait or tie their hair!